Thanksgiving....

Hello people! How are you all doing? I hope this blog finds you well and that you are looking forward to the up coming holidays....especially these last two Thanksgiving and Christmas! They truly saved the best for last!

SO I am sitting in Barnes & Noble enjoying their free Wi-Fi and a cappuccino! I probably should have skipped the cappuccino since the caffeine mixed with the sugar sprinkled on the scone has me wired for sound! I can't do sugar like use to when I was little...apparently I can't do caffeine either! Anyway...the holidays are here there are only two days until Thanksgiving and 32 days until Christmas. Do me a favor when you greet someone during the Christmas holiday say "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and not happy holidays...sometimes being politically correct is just not worth it!

I had lunch the other day with some friends of mine, the ladies I use to go kick-boxing with. We don't kick-box anymore but we do share a meal with each other now and then... we went from sparring with each other to sharing meals and conversations. The exercising was a good thing but the conversations I find are better. I on occasion find myself attempting to feel sorry for myself and then I will talk to someone and find out that my life is GOLDEN! One of the ladies I had lunch with was talking about the current situation with her mother-in-law who is suffering from Alzheimer disease. I gather from the conversation that the mother-in-law only has sons as I have never heard my friend mention a sister-in-law. With her husband's mother's dementia she does on occasion have "accidents" which apparently leaves at least one of her sons at loss on what to do. She said that her husband came in and said his mom was naked from the waist down in the hall and he didn't know what to do. She said did you ask her where her clothes were or what happened? Apparently the shock of seeing his mom in that condition struck him DUMB! She helped her mother-in-law clean herself up and get her clothes on and took care of the soiled underwear and bedding. My friend was telling us that the other son is attempting to make waves and wants to take "his" mom to live with him...good luck with that she said saying "I wonder who is going to help her when she soils herself or is standing in the hall without clothes...." The conversation struck me as funny cause I was sitting there thinking my life sucks...then as she talked I thought OH I AM SORRY! MY LIFE IS GOLDEN! Don't get me wrong her mother-in-laws condition is no laughing matter it is no doubt sad. What stuck me as funny is that everyone thinks they have it bad but if you just look around, stop and listen, you will find out that it is not as bad as you think. Every time I want to feel sorry for myself I find that somebody else has something worst happening so instead of feeling bad or sorry for myself...all I can do is laugh and smile!

It occurs to me this time of year when Thanksgiving rolls around everybody starts talking about what they are thankful for and they even have to stop and think about it... I say we should be thankful that our lives are such that we don't have to 'stand naked' in the hallway not knowing where we had our accident that caused us to remove our underwear.... that we have all our faculties about us and we are able to move our limbs and still have our limbs to move! I have a friend that says any day 6 feet above ground is a good day! That is true, 6 feet above ground, in our right mind and mobile. That is something to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my friends and family...when I spend time with my friends I find that they have hidden strengths that I was not aware of. The friend who is taking care of her husband's mother, she is a black belt in Tae Kwon Doe or Super Feet or something... anyway she could take you out if she had too... BUT what makes her strong to me is the fact that when faced with a situation where she could say, "not my problem or she is not my mom" she instead fights to make sure that no matter whose mom she is...she is safe, well fed, taken care of and loved! Isn't that what we all want? I take care of my sister and in some respects have to deal with the same things my friend is dealing as far as accidents go...but she is my sister, would I do the same for if she were not.. hhhhmmmm...would you? Who says blood is thicker than water?! Be BLESSED my friends and family this holiday season and all year through!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and let me be the first to say MERRY CHRISTMAS!

See ya when I see ya!

Peace! Mattie